Unified Sports®

Team sports bring people together. Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams do that, too and much more. About 1.4 million people worldwide take part in Unified Sports, breaking down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a really fun way. ESPN has served as the Global Presenting Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports since 2013, supporting the growth and expansion of this program that empowers individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to engage through the power of sports.

Promoting Social Inclusion Through Sport

Special Olympics is dedicated to promoting social inclusion
through shared sports training and competition experiences. Unified
Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on
the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training
together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and
understanding.

In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and
ability. That makes practices more fun and games more challenging
and exciting for all. Having sport in common is just one more way
that preconceptions and false ideas are swept away.

U.S. States Embracing
Unified Sports

Young people with disabilities do
not often get a chance to play on their school sports teams. More
and more U.S. states are adopting the Unified Sports approach that
Special Olympics pioneered.

Unified Sports is also an integral part of
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, which was founded in
2008 and funded through the U.S. Office of Special Education
Programs at the U.S. Department of Education to use Special
Olympics as a way to build inclusion and tolerance in schools.
Unified Sports are now in more than 4500 elementary, middle and
high schools in the United States. Seventy percent of Unified
Champion Schools (Pre-K through Grade 12) are engaging in Unified
Sports! Also 215 US colleges and universities have
Special Olympics College Clubs on campus, providing
ongoing Unified and inclusionary activities for students and
Special Olympics athletes. 73 of the 215 US colleges and
universities activating Special Olympics College conduct ongoing
Unified Sports on their campus. Learn how to get involved,
visit: www.playunified.org.

Our Partners

ESPN

U.S. Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education (OSEP)

Kim Samuel and the Samuel Family Foundation

Perfect Sense

Y&R

Burson-Marsteller

The Coca-Cola Company

WWE

NBA

MLS Works

Uniqlo

Seiko

NIRSA

NFHS

EuroLeague

UNICEF

UEFA

FIFA Football for Hope

King Baudouin Foundation

Major sports organization, league and event support to Play Unified

Many high-profile, professional sports organizations and events
have also showcased Unified Sports as a vehicle to show the power
of inclusive sports! This support includes:

Unified Sports® Events

2018 Special Olympic Middle East - North Africa 9th Regional Games

Wed Mar 14 - Fri Mar 23, 2018

The Regional games will take place from 14- 23 March 2018 with the participation of around 1800 athletes competing in 16 different sports , 450 coaches, 3000 volunteers and 100 honored guests. On the sidelines of the games several initiatives will be held: Healthy athletes program- Families forum- Young athletes demo- Youth Summit.

Louisiana State Summer Games

Fri May 18 - Sun May 20, 2018

This is an event for all Areas. Male and female athletes from across the state will compete in Athletics (Track & Field), Bocce, Powerlifting and Unified Volleyball. Sign up today to play, coach or volunteer for this event.

2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games

Thu Mar 14 - Thu Mar 21, 2019

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will be the host of the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games. The Games will be held 14 to 21 March in 2019. The Games will span seven days of competition. About 7,000 athletes from more than 170 countries are invited to attend. The Games will feature competition in 24 sports.